Preserving process: conservation of a Helen Frankenthaler maquette for Card

ABSTRACT

Contemporary American print publishers, such as Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE), collaborate with artists to produce prints using high quality materials for their editions. However, for developing their imagery, artists often use more affordable materials that may be prone to degradation, discoloration, and structural instability. This article discusses the treatment of a maquette by Helen Frankenthaler, a multi-layered assemblage of paper and transparent film joined together with pressure-sensitive tape that is one of the several preliminary works for her 1971 lithograph Card, now in the collection of The Art Institute of Chicago. Treatment of the maquette was undertaken to reduce degraded tape adhesive and replace it with a stable pressure-sensitive alternative while preserving the integrity of the work and its original materials. FTIR analysis in reflectance and transmittance modes identified the transparent films as cellulose acetate and the tape carriers as both cellulose acetate and regenerated cellulose (cellophane); these findings informed treatment and storage decisions. An analytical survey of several works in the ULAE collection also confirmed the use of cellulose acetate in works by other artists from the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, concerns for the stability of this material would ultimately factor into the broader preservation plan for the archive.

RÉSUMÉ

Les maisons d’imprimerie américaines contemporaines, telles qu’Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE), collaborent avec les artistes pour produire des tirages utilisant les matériaux de la meilleure qualité pour leurs travaux d’édition. Cependant, pour développer leur imagerie, les artistes utilisent souvent des matériaux moins couteux, sujets à la dégradation, la décoloration et l’instabilité structurelle. Cet article évoque le traitement de restauration d’une maquette d’Helen Frankenthaler, un assemblage multicouche fait de papier et de film transparent fixés ensemble à l’aide de ruban adhésif sensible à la pression, qui constitue l’une des épreuves préliminaires pour sa lithographie de 1971 Card, aujourd’hui dans les collections de l’Art Institute de Chicago. La restauration de la maquette a été réalisée dans le but de réduire la quantité de ruban adhésif dégradé et le remplacer par un adhésif sensible à la pression alternatif stable, tout en préservant l’intégrité de l’œuvre et de ses matériaux originaux. Des analyses IRTF en réflectance et en transmittance ont identifié les films transparents comme étant de l’acétate de cellulose, et le support des adhésifs de l’acétate de cellulose et de la cellulose régénérée (cellophane); ces résultats ont façonné les décisions concernant la restauration et les conditions de stockage. Une étude analytique de plusieurs œuvres dans les collections d’ULAE a également confirmé l’emploi de l’acétate de cellulose par d’autres artistes des années 1960 et 1970. Par conséquent, les craintes concernant la stabilité de ce matériau devront être prises en compte dans le programme de préservation global de cette archive. Traduit par Elsa Thyss.

RESUMO

As editoras americanas contemporâneas, como a Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE), colaboram com artistas para produzir impressões usando os melhores materiais disponíveis para suas edições. No entanto, para o desenvolvimento de suas imagens, os artistas costumam usar materiais mais acessíveis, que podem ser propensos à degradação, descoloração e instabilidade estrutural. Este artigo discute o tratamento de uma maquete feita por Helen Frankenthaler, um conjunto de papéis e películas transparentes unidos por uma fita sensível à pressão, que é uma das várias obras preliminares do seu Cartão litográfico de 1971, atualmente na coleção do The Art. Institute de Chicago. O tratamento da maquete foi realizado para reduzir a degradação da fita adesiva e substituí-lo por uma alternativa estável sensível à pressão, preservando a integridade do trabalho e de seus materiais originais. A análise de espectroscopia de infravermelho por transformada de Fourier (FTIR) nos modos de refletância e transmitância identificou os filmes transparentes como acetato de celulose e os suportes de fita como acetato de celulose e celulose regenerada (celofane); essas descobertas informaram as decisões de tratamento e de armazenamento. Um levantamento analítico de vários trabalhos da coleção ULAE também confirmou o uso de acetato de celulose em obras de outros artistas das décadas de 1960 e 1970. Portanto, as preocupações com a estabilidade deste material acabariam por levar a um plano de preservação mais amplo para o arquivo. Traduzido por Cristina Antunes.

RESUMEN

Las editoriales americanas contemporáneas, tales como Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE), colaboran con artistas para producir impresiones utilizando los mejores materiales disponibles para sus ediciones. Sin embargo, para desarrollar sus imágenes, los artistas a menudo usan materiales más accesibles que pueden ser propensos a la degradación, la decoloración y la inestabilidad estructural. Este artículo aborda el tratamiento de una maqueta de Helen Frankenthaler, un ensamblaje de varias capas de papel y película transparente unidas con cinta sensible a la presión, que es uno de varios trabajos preliminares para su Tarjeta de litografía de 1971, ahora en la colección de The Art Institute de Chicago. El tratamiento de la maqueta se hizo para reducir el adhesivo degradado y reemplazarlo por un material estable sensible a la presión, y al mismo tiempo preservar la integridad del trabajo y sus materiales originales. El análisis FTIR en los modos de reflectancia y transmitancia identificó las películas transparentes como acetato de celulosa y los substratos portadores del adhesivo en la cinta como acetato de celulosa y celulosa regenerada (celofán); estos hallazgos informaron las decisiones sobre el tratamiento y almacenamiento. Una encuesta analítica de varias obras de la colección ULAE también confirmó el uso de acetato de celulosa en obras de otros artistas de los años sesenta y setenta. Por lo tanto, la preocupación sobre la estabilidad de este material se incluiría en el plan más amplio de preservación para el archivo. Traducido por Amparo Rueda.

KEYWORDS:

• Helen Frankenthaler
• Universal Limited Art Editions
• lithograph
• cellulose acetate
• pressure-sensitive tape
• reflectance FTIR

Acknowledgements

We are immensely thankful to our colleagues in the Department of Prints and Drawings at AIC, particularly Debora Wood, Mark Pascal, and Emily Ziemba for their support of the project and for helping to inform our understanding the technical process in making Card and the ULAE archive as a whole. Chris Conniff O’Shea generously provided her expertise in developing the housing and Liana Jegers created the maquette diagram included in the article. We also extend sincere gratitude to Sylvie Pénichon, Department of Photography, for her insights into the preservation of cellulose acetate and storage options, and to Francesca Casadio, Department of Conservation and Science, for input on interpretation of analytical data. Danny Miller from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago graciously helped to produce the transparent facsimile guide used during treatment. We are also thankful to Elizabeth Smith, Maureen St. Onge, and Cecelia Barnett of the Frankethaler Foundation for generously sharing the collections of the Frankenthaler Foundation with us. The Grainger Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation are gratefully acknowledged for their support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Kimberly J. Nichols received her MA and Certificate of Advanced Study in Art Conservation from the State University College at Buffalo. After completing a Morse Fellowship in Paper Conservation at the Museum Fine Arts, Boston, she continued on in Paper Conservation and then in the Asian Conservation Studio. Ms. Nichols joined The Art Institute of Chicago in 2005 working again with Asian paintings, prints, and manuscripts and then in Prints and Drawings where she remained until 2016. She is currently working in private practice in Chicago. Ms. Nichols has published on a range of topics relating to conservation treatments and materials, as well as technical studies on nineteenth century works of art.

Yelizaveta Sorokin received her Masters of Art and Certificate of Advanced Study in Art Conservation from the State University of New York, Buffalo State in 2015. She has worked in the paper conservation labs of the Art Institute of Chicago, Northwestern University Library, the Brooklyn Museum, the University of Virginia Library and the Saint Louis Art Museum. In 2016, she completed the Craigen W. Bowen Advanced Training Fellowship in Paper Conservation at the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies at the Harvard Art Museums. Her research interests include German expressionist printmaking and modern materials on paper. Ms. Sorokin is currently an associate paper conservator at the Midwest Art Conservation Center in Minneapolis, MN.

Céline Daher received her PhD in analytical chemistry from Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) in Paris, France in 2012. She has specialized in the use of vibrational spectroscopies (and other complementary techniques) to analyze different kinds of works of art: from musical instrument varnishes and painted and varnished furniture to polyurethane foam sculptures during different post-doctoral fellowships in Paris. She was a post-doctoral fellow at the Art Institute of Chicago working in the Conservation Department. She is currently studying historical photographic materials, specifically those used for calotypes.

Ken Sutherland is a scientist in the department of conservation and science at the Art Institute of Chicago. He held previous positions as a scientist in the conservation department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Research Fellow in the scientific research department of the National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. He received a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Amsterdam, a diploma in the conservation of easel paintings from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, and a B.Sc. in biochemistry from University College London. His research interests include the characterization of organic materials in artworks and their deterioration.

Notes

1. Roy Lichtenstein’s screenprint Sandwich and Soda (1964) is one example of a finished work on transparent film.

2. A proof based on the maquette, possibly the only version of this image, is in the collection of the Frankenthaler Foundation in New York City.

3. Peak positions in reflectance spectra after Kramers–Kronig transformation can appear at wavenumbers shifted relative to those observed in transmission measurements and care must be taken in their interpretation; see Buti et al. (2013).